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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Oct 23, 2002

Getting keyed in on musical talent

I don't like the phrase "child prodigy." It sounds vaguely condescending, and it brings to mind images of pushy parents forcing reluctant children to follow in the footsteps of Beethoven, Mozart and Michael Jackson.
COMMENTARY
Sep 24, 2002

Building corporate integrity

A spate of corporate scandals have rocked Japan this year. Snow Brand Foods Co. and Nippon Ham Co. mislabeled beef, abusing the government's buyback program that was set up to bail out the beef industry following the outbreak of mad cow disease in Japan. Trading giant Mitsui & Co. was implicated in a...
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2002

Finance firm searched over illegal loan scam

OSAKA -- Police searched on Friday the offices of an Osaka financial company suspected of improperly collecting at least 3 billion yen loaned by its affiliates to the elderly at illegal interest rates.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2002

Court dismisses inventor's patent claim but will consider reward

The Tokyo District Court on Thursday acknowledged Nichia Corp.'s ownership of the patent for a key semiconductor device, rejecting a suit filed by the inventor, now a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2002

Ajinomoto being sued over aspartame patent

A former worker at Ajinomoto Co. has filed a suit against the food maker over the patented production method for the artificial sweetener aspartame, his lawyers said Sunday.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2002

Unauthorized bolts used to fix Fukushima nuclear reactor

A panel set up by Tokyo Electric Power Co. to investigate the company's coverup of nuclear reactor faults has discovered that unauthorized bolts were used to repair a reactor at Tepco's Fukushima No. 1 plant, company sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Sep 10, 2002

Taisho and Toyama conclude tieup accord

Taisho Pharmaceutical Co. and Toyama Chemical Co. said Monday they have concluded a tieup agreement that features the establishment of a joint sales company and the acquisition by Taisho of a major equity stake in Toyama.
COMMENTARY
Sep 8, 2002

Flawed jamboree had value

LONDON -- The vast jamboree at the U.N. World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg involved a huge amount of partying and junketing. The costs of travel and accommodations for delegations of ministers and officials were huge. Was it worthwhile?
BUSINESS
Sep 4, 2002

Firms look to cash in on energy-efficient appliances

OSAKA -- Manufacturers of home appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators are making them more energy-efficient, and some products save more than 80 percent on power costs compared with 10 years ago, according to industry officials.
BUSINESS / ON MANAGEMENT
Sep 3, 2002

Big raise, big head: Save the new executive from himself

A flattering article on an up-and-coming executive appeared in the business pages, followed by copycat stories in other media. When I complimented the boss on cultivating what seemed to be an extraordinary young talent, she looked me straight in the face and shook her head. "A major, major mistake. I...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Sep 2, 2002

Japan laying it on thick with ancient corporate shtick

The hammier the act, the better it gets. Nippon Ham, Japan's largest ham and sausage processor, tries to tap the government's post-BSE meat buyback program by pretending it has a lot of unsold domestic beef on hand, which actually turns out to be imported stock.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2002

Tepco executives to quit over atomic plant scandal

The president and chairman of Tokyo Electric Power Company are likely to step down to take responsibility for a scandal involving false reports on inspections and repairs at the company's nuclear power plants, sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2002

Former Kokumin chief sentenced to prison

Yukio Okonogi, former president of the defunct Kokumin Bank, was sentenced Friday to 2 1/2 years in prison for aggravated breach of trust by granting up to 9 billion yen in illegal loans.
BUSINESS
Aug 31, 2002

64 billion yen bailout saves Arai-Gumi

OSAKA -- Struggling general contractor Arai-Gumi Ltd. said Friday it has agreed with Konoike Construction Co. to form a capital and operational alliance, a move orchestrated by their main lender, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., to assist Arai-Gumi.
BUSINESS
Aug 22, 2002

Kyoei Mutual to choose Zenkyoren over Millea

Kyoei Mutual Fire & Marine Insurance Co. is expected to abandon its plans to merge with Millea Holdings Inc. in favor of operating under the wing of the National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives (Zenkyoren), company officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2002

Residents to seek redress over Tokai nuclear accident

Three residents of the village of Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, home to Japan's worst nuclear accident, said Monday they will seek compensation for health hazards from the operator of the uranium processing plant and its parent company.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2002

Government asks Nippon Ham unit to limit beef-related business activity

The farm ministry on Wednesday asked Nippon Food Inc. to limit its beef-related business activities and will consider filing criminal complaints against a senior managing director of its parent firm, officials said.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2002

Ministry set to press charges against food execs

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry is set to file criminal complaints against three managers of a subsidiary of Nippon Meat Packers Inc., better known as Nippon Ham, on suspicion they defrauded a beef-buyback program, ministry officials said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CLOSE NEIGHBORS
Aug 10, 2002

Japanese firms fight back against Chinese copies

A Panasonic CD player, Sony headphones, Toshiba batteries. An extensive array of well-known, Japanese-made products is displayed at an office in Beijing, giving the impression that they are designed to promote imports.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 8, 2002

Looking after your mental and physical well-being in Japan

"Several weeks ago you published information about English-speaking doctors and wrote that you would be glad to receive information on others," writes Mary in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2002

Professor champions cause of small manufacturers

Small and midsize manufacturers don't make for as flashy headlines as giants like Sony and Toyota. They are sometimes even collectively considered a symbol of a debt-laden Japan Inc.
COMMUNITY
Aug 4, 2002

Stars in your eyes: fireworks in Japan

Living with Tokyo Disney Resort in their midst, residents of Urayasu in Chiba Prefecture can enjoy its fireworks displays every night in summer. Even for them, though, the annual Noryo Fireworks Festival is something else altogether.
COMMUNITY
Aug 4, 2002

Touched by the hand of the fire god

Akiko Amano says she once saw the God of Fire. It was around 10 years ago when she first started working as a hanabishi (professional fireworks setter). That night, she was working at a countryside fireworks festival.

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person